I FEEL GOOD...I FEEL BAD...I FEEL SORTA OK

"Fatigue makes cowards of us all"
- Vince Lombardi


I just can't seem to figure it out. Somedays are diamonds and somedays are coal...somedays you're the windshied and somedays you're the bug...somedays you're the bat and somedays you're the ball. Ok, this is even getting old for me, but you get the gist. A week ago, I went out for my pre-dawn run, and it was like I never laced up running shoes before. Every step was plodding, every step was an effort. Then, for absolutely no good reason, my next three runs were wonderful and my longest of the three was also my fastest! Of course, that run had a little boost because I was running in Boston on the Marathon course. It wasn't because I was trying to make it my best run of the week, but it was the one where I felt the most in tune with what I was doing. My legs were propelling me forward, not exactly effortlessly, but it felt smooth instead of my legs just moving forward to keep me from tipping over onto my face.

If you're going to get yourself swallowed up by endurance events, you've got to prepare yourself, and pretty much expect, that for periods, sometimes rather extended periods, you will just feel like "who-did-it-and-why'd-they-do-it". One of the many things long distance running has taught me is that most of the time you'll work yourself out of most of these difficult patches if you just hang in there and accept it as part of the deal. That patch might be a few minutes in a 10K, a couple of miles in a marathon, several hours in an ultra, or a couple of weeks in your training schedule. This is not the "wall" so many new endurance athletes work themselves into a lather about, but just a period where the fatigue point rears it's ugly head and the left side of your brain becomes domineering with thoughts of how good it would feel to quit this foolishness and sit down, be it on the curb in a road race, in the middle of a trail in some woods, or right in the middle of your training schedule.

Now, if there seems to be a pattern that every week you're bailing out of at least one run, well, then, you're developing a wicked habit if you wish to sculpt your body into a long distance machine. I know I'm having a devil of a time getting myself going regularly in this cold weather. I'm just plain tired of it (the cold weather, not the running). Once I kick myself out the door, most cold weather runs are actually very good, but my short term memory wants no part of it and the next day, I have to grapple with myself again - ugh! Sometimes, you get going and you know in the first quarter mile that today is going be a rough day. In those cases, try to give it at least 15-20 minutes and if you still resemble yesterday's fish (your run stinks), then start to head for Plan B, which is usually heading for home. But in a planned long run, if you start to fade, understand that this is part of the process, and you slow down, drink some Powerade, and take a Powergel or some other form of sugar (though how anybody eats those sports jelly bean things, I have no idea). Then get going again and see if your body tries to climb out of this "bad patch". Remember, in a marathon (or longer race), you will have long time to try to work things out - maybe not enough to accomplish Goal A, but it doesn't have to be a total disaster. If you're going to give in to the Bad Patch Monster every time it comes out of it's cave, then you're doomed before you even begin.

We have a lot of seasoned marathoners out there on Sundays at our runs mixed in with newer long distance hopefuls, and no matter where you're reading this (believe it or not, from Canada to Russia to Australia and 6 of 7 continents - nobody in Antarctica has read RWA!), one thing that is common amongst all veteran runners is that we all love to talk about running - the good and the bad - and each of us will boost your confidence by telling you horror stories about how we had runs that were just falling apart, but by hanging in there and doing the right salvaging things, we resurrected what seemed like a total loss and made it a positive run. This could be in a race or "just" a training run. Many training runs I've done, I've said "What if this had been a marathon today? I'd be toast!". But, I would walk some, keep drinking and most of the time, eventually got back to running, as long as I felt like I wasn't going to hurt myself - THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER DAY! Training for 26 or 50 or 100 miles is a long road (literally) that has 4-6 months of goal-oriented runs attached to it, so that's well over 100 training runs and your body will learn something from EVERY run you do, some of it good, some not so good, but it will learn. If you work your way through the bad patches repeatedly, your body and mind will accept "Good Patch...Bad Patch...Better Than Bad Patch". You HAVE to learn to hang in there in order to learn what works for you. Then it will become habit. You may not learn it fast -three decades and I haven't completely learned that lesson yet, but I'm working on it.

A quote of Scott Jurek's that I used several blogs ago is still one of my all-time favorites - "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have". It's one of the lures of marathons and, more so, ultramarathons - how strong will I be when I face the demons? They will be there, count on it. I've finished many long runs where I could never figure out how I did it, because 2/3's through the race, I felt cooked, and the only reason I kept going was because my car wasn't parked in the middle of the woods! But, as much as logic would tell me "This is it Big Boy", my anti-logic of experience would convince me to believe my mantra of "every step is a step closer", and most of the time it was like grabbing a rope and climbing out of the abyss, and that rope was attached to the finish line. As many times as you promise yourself during the race that if somehow God allows you to finish, you're going to burn your running shoes and never run again, that promise is soon forgotten at the finish line where you alone realize how deep you really can reach down to depths you didn't know you had. And that, my friends, is why we come back for more! I love this sport!!

Ok, 3 weeks till the Mercedes Marathon. For tomorrow, we've got 15 on the schedule for the full marathoners and 7 for the half. NEXT WEEK, we return to Downtown for our final run on the Mercedes course, so put that in your calendar NOW. We're coming in for a landing now, so don't screw up. You've been training since September...you can't cram in training in the last 3 weeks. Believe in yourself. I believe I'll see you all on the roads tomorrow - AL


"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

A Tale of Two Cities

Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat.
- Anonymous


As we "dig" ourselves out of two inches of snow, ice, panic, and total inconvenience here in the deep South this week, one thing has definitely been confirmed. I am ready for Spring! Of course, those that know me, know that I've been ready for Spring since I turned my calendar to October. It wasn't cold back then, but it was October, and having gone through this scenario for the past 63 years, I knew what was coming, and in October, I don't like it...in January, I just hate it. No foolin', no kidding, I'm serious. I am positively the biggest wienie when it comes to cold weather. I mean it is just plain physically uncomfortable. Walking the quarter mile from my parking space to my work clinic to me is like these films you see of sailors stranded on some ice flow with the wind screaming and icicles on their beards. Trying to get up my get-up-and-go for a run is nearly impossible. It's reminds me of those cartoons where one little gremlin is on your left shoulder saying "Don't run...your lungs (and other things) will freeze" and the little guy on your right shoulder is saying "you big wussie. Just shut up and run!". Yeah, I run most of the time when it's cold and I complain like a little girl, but I guess I do "warm up" and as long as I don't stop, I can keep the thermostat fairly level. They (there THEY are again) say there is no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. Well, if I wore appropriate clothing for 15 degrees, like it was this week, I wouldn't be able to move, never mind run. I love when Runner's World says "this high-tech shirt will keep you toasty" - baloney!! The only thing keeping me toasty is a hot shower and coffee. Keeping me moving while running is three layers of everything! Well, only two layers of gloves, but of course I have those dandy little HotHands in my gloves - man, I love those. And I love warm weather.
So, despite all this whining and carrying on, what does ol' Coach Al do this weekend? Why, go to Boston of course to see Adam (grandson) and Joanie (daughter-in-law). My son is out of town on business (Barcelona is out of town, right?), but from the emails I'm getting, he seems more determined to scrounge up tickets to watch one or two Barcelona soccer games than to learn any business stuff. That's my boy!!!
Meanwhile, Boston got 16" of snow this past Wednesday of which 15" is still around. The roads are plowed because the day before the the storm, the city declares a "snow emergency", which means you DO NOT park on the city streets because the heavy duty plows are coming through like Transformers and if your car is in the way, you'll be lucky if all you get is a several hundred dollar ticket. Your car may wind up several blocks away when Iron Mike realizes he just swooped it up. Today, I have to admit I did not get out to run. I mean, it was 7 degrees with ice everywhere. It wasn't hard to roll over. Besides, Adam & I had a little Grandpa/Grandson "rock-back-to-sleep" episode at 4 this morning (which I am definitely not complaining about), so slept in I did. Doesn't look like it'll get above freezing at all until the day we leave on Tuesday. But, that's fine with me. Yes, the adapted Southern Wienie would gladly venture into the cold outreaches to see Adam enjoy his frigid hometown. We're even going sledding later - he's too young for snowball fight, but just wait!!

Tomorrow morning, I plan to get out and try a run. I'll complain about the cold and the wind and the ice, but once I get back, I'll switch from running mode to Grandpa mode and answering "dis" (Adam talk for "what's this") all day will make dealing with the cold a lot more tolerable. But really, how do folks that live up here ever train? Are they just treadmill freaks? Do they constantly overdress like I still do, or have they finally learned the twenty degree rule? Do they even care what the weather is? Oh well, questions I don't really need answers to. Next time I come back in a couple of months, I'll be looking for Mr. Daffodil rearing his yellow head and seeing if it's time to teach Adam how to burp his name - no, I guess that's still a year or two down the road. As for now, Adam is napping, so I think I'll check the weather report and whine for a while until he wakes up. Stay warm my friends.

For those training for Mercedes, it's just 4 weeks away!! Holy Crow! It's really sneaking up on us. Is it just me, or are there very little ads or commercials or newspaper stories about Mercedes this year? Seems like the fanfare is a little muted compared to previous years. Based on the training email I get, there are a lot of folks training for the half or the full, so we'll see soon. Meanwhile, the schedule calls for 20 miles tomorrow for the full and 7 for the half. Check the map at my blog site if you don't know the route ( http://runningwithal.blogspot.com ). I plan to do my 20 next Sunday, so if anyone wants to join me then, that will be fine, but it will be very easy.

So, from the cold north to the slowly warming south, wear warm socks, use HotHands when you need them, and I'll see you on the roads - AL


"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

REACH OUT...SOMEONE NEEDS YOUR HAND

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." - JOHN WOODEN, former Basketball Coach

As we anxiously cower in Birmingham,awaiting a snowstorm of 3-8", I wonder, should I waste my time writing a blog about an event that may not happen at all, or do I look back on previous failed predictions of doom and gloom by our weatherman "experts", and not write about it at all. I choose the latter. But, I do reserve the right to run out to grocery store immediately after posting this blog and stock up, not on the ridiculous bread & milk, but on something more substantial...like beer and pretzels. For those of you not in the Birmingham area, you don't understand how the simple mention of the word "snow" paralyzes the city, so, to some, the epic pseudo-storm of tomorrow will bring on the end of the world two years early (if you believe those alien-influenced Aztecs). So, I better hurry up with this post.

I heard that quote above recently and it got me to thinking about what a good quote it was for the beginning of the year. Although my tenure is now over, I was the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Run Coach here in Birmingham for 15 years. When I joined TNT back in the mid 90's, we began with two seasons a year, offering only one full marathon. Even had a break between seasons! Over the years, it grew to three over-lapping seasons with both full and half marathons. All of our teams would meet together to begin their training runs every Sunday morning as one big, happy group, and I had to say "I hope you all looked at the schedule and know how far you're supposed to go", because literally, somedays all I would know was how far the longest group was going. I figured those going shorter would know when to stop (not always a good assumption). Between making schedules, drawing maps, putting out coolers, being motivational, answering emails, and actually trying to coach runners to go very long distances, I would sometimes almost have to kick myself when I felt like I was losing the whole focus of the program - helping those much less fortunate than myself. We're all put here for a reason and I don't want to get into a long discussion of determining if that reason is preordained or not, but the basic reason HAS to be helping each other, don't you think? It doesn't matter whether you raise money for a charity (ANY charity), give your time doing volunteer work, or just helping up someone who stumbles along the way. If we all would just lend a hand somehow, wouldn't things be a whole lot better?

This weekend, there are some Disney TNT'ers in Orlando doing their half (today) and full (tomorrow) marathons. And in just 5 short weeks, our Mercedes runners and walkers will reach the top of the training mountain and many of them are raising monies for TNT or the Bell Center For Early Intervention Programs or some other worthy charity. All of these groups began back in mid-September and most had no idea what in the world they were doing or why they were trying to become an endurance athlete to raise money. But, they came out scared and nervous, and here they are about to take their final exam. Some could just sit down and write a check to their charity, but they may have been touched by someone they know that has this disease and they want to push themselves a bit to make aware to others that this can be beaten, but in the meantime saying "I AM GOING TO DO SOMETHING THAT'S HARD, THAT'S NOTICED, AND WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE". Every wall is built with a million bricks and every one is important to the strength of the wall. Each dollar raised by itself doesn't really seem to mean a whole hill of beans, but when you put them in a big pile and come up with over a Billion dollars raised, as the L&L Society has done with Team-in-Training, then you see research facilities built, researchers hired, drugs developed, and cure rates raise from 20% to 96% as some childhood cancers have in the past 20 years. I am a runner who can help to teach other potential runners how to run. No big deal there, but when you can teach them to use their body as a vehicle to touch literally millions of others, well then, Happy New Year. Every time you enter a race that has a charity behind it, don't complain about the entry fee...just be thankful that you have the gift to get out there and pound your shoes into the road for a reason other than to see how fast or far you can go. For the past few years, the numbers for TNT and other similar charities seem to be going down. I know we used to have good programs with the Arthritis Foundation and the Diabetes Foundation here in town, but they don't seem to be active anymore. I hope all this doesn't mean that "the novelty has worn off". For the new year, why don't you add to your resolution list to be more aware of how we can use our running and walking to help others and not just ourselves. Before most of our Sunday runs, Ken and I will ask the group #1) Who did a race the day or week before (nothing like a pat-on-the-back), #2) Who's training for a specific race other than the local races (You train better when you make a commitment in front of a group), and #3) Who has a fundraiser they're raising monies for (get it out there). We like to make a big deal about all those things.

OK, I know that didn't have a whole lot of running info in it, but sometimes I sit down at my computer and my fingers just start typing. It's even scary to me! But back to running. Tomorrow, we will run from BOUTWELL AUDITORIUM and we will run on the Mercedes course. I wish I could make it so a bell would go off when you read that so you don't wind up in the wrong place. The full marathoners will do one 13 mile loop and the halfers will do 10.1 miles (see www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=410487 for the 10.1 course starting from the 7 mile mark). This is the 2nd of our three "on-course" training runs for Mercedes. The next one will be January 30th. As most of you know, my #1 training advice is to train consistently, but one of my top 3 Race-day tips is "Learn the course". So, what better way to learn it than to do it? It looks like this year's Storm of the Century will not hit till the afternoon, so I'll see you on the Mercedes roads in the morning - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world."

Be Consistent With Consistency

"Don't expect a million dollar race with 10 cent training" - unknown

Hi guys - As we begin another new year, it is pouring dogs and cats here in Birmingham, spiced with lightning, thunder, and the spring-like Tornado and Flash Flood watches. Looks like my brand new Running Log will begin with a big fat zero. Oh well, good rest for the long run tomorrow. Hot coffee sure tastes better on a morning like this. Add to that an early morning English soccer game on ESPN2 and the morning paper, and 2011 is shaping up to be The Year of The Slug. Nah, that won't happen - I'm determined that this is The Year of the Semi-Comeback (can't be too committal).

I reflect back on this literally crummy year of running, thanks mainly to a couple of ankle joints that just don't want to bend forwards, backwards or sideways (which really makes trail running a blast). But, some tweaking (I word I hate, but it fits) here & there and there is improvement. Enough to make me hopeful to run a marathon soon and return to the trails on somewhat of a regular basis. As I look back, it seems unfathomable to think that running has been my constant companion for more than half my life.

In skimming my 30+ years of training logs, it's funny how I set practically all my PR's within a 3 year span in the mid-80's. Of course, I realize that I was 25 years younger then (Oh no, Say it ain't so, Joe!!), but other than THAT large elephant in the room, there was incredible consistency to my running. I used to work at Cooper Green Hospital in the Birmingham Medical Center, and EVERY lunchtime, I would head out the door and about a mile later, I would meet up with my best running buddy, Bill Tucker. Sometimes, it would be just the two of us, and sometimes we would be joined by up to 8 other guys along the route. We were the constants for many years. Each weekday, we would head out for an 8 mile run through Southside, punctuated with a balls-to-the-wall quarter mile finish that rivaled the finish of any race I ever ran. Exhausted, we would be bent over, panting, with hands-on-knees, thinking "why the heck did I do that?", while simultaneously saying "We'll do it again tomorrow". And that was EVERY day...except Thursdays, when we would do an 8 mile hill run along the side of Red Mountain that would literally wring the last bit of ever-loving starch out of our legs. The constant rising and dropping elevation would have us pushing, not wanting to show any sign of weakness to the others in our group while we plowed up and down the mountain course. Only the occasional, barely audible "crap" from one of us would indicate the screaming, burning fatigue. Rain, snow, heat, cold, didn't matter. Obviously, getting back to work on time didn't matter too much either!! Then came the weekend, when Bill & I would usually put in a 12 mile tempo run with about 10 other (much faster) runners, or head out for a 20 miler at least once a month. Looking back, it may have been a little excessive, but I loved running long distances and the PR's were there for the picking like apples from a tree. So, run we did.

The absolute key to training is consistency. If you're serious about doing a long distance event, you have to become dedicated to a training program. Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. One of the things I love about marathon training (and coaching) is that this is probably the first event in terms of distance that you really have to plan for in terms of training. You can't just hop out of the sack one morning and decide to go 26.2 miles. How many macho, seemingly in-shape, near-plastered, college guys have almost met their maker due to the infamous Bar Bet "I can run that marathon tomorrow!" (Kind of a direct running parallel to the Redneck's famous last words "Here, hold my beer. Watch this!"). Your body has to undergo a physiological change so you don't crash, hit the wall, bonk, flame out, whatever you want to call it. There are multiple aspects of marathon training, but cut away the fancy Runner's World "100 tips to get you through the marathon" articles and it comes down to dedication, consistency, and discipline to a training program. I remember an article I once read where a reporter asked H. Lamar Hunt, then one of the richest men in America, how he acquired his riches. He said "First, you decide what you want. Then figure out what you're going to have to give up to get it. If you still want it, then go after it". In marathon training, it is a huge time commitment, you're constantly tired, you can't live on a diet of cinnamon rolls, hot fudge sundaes, and milk shakes, and all your non-running friends will avoid you because they are tired of listening to you talking about nothing other than running.

These days, I'm much slower, I only run 4 days a week because my wheels need the once avoided days off, and my mileage is less than half of what I used to do in my heyday. But I still love to run long distances (at least in my head), and most of the time, I show up on Sundays under the pretense that I'm somehow helping to teach you how to do this. But, you know what? I come out there for the camaraderie of all you guys and because you are my constants. If you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end. Oh, not the same numbers I had "back then", but as the country song says..."I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good as I'll ever be". Run long my friends.

As we screech into the New Year, I hope you all set your resolutions, or just plain goals, within a realistic distance. Some folks set several goals for the New Year, but I never understood this. I mean, if you have something you wish was better, why wait till January 1st to get your butt off the couch? Whether it's January 1st, or June 30th, reach for something that's just beyond that comfortable range, and be consistent with your plan. Hey, kinda like training for a long distance running event, huh?. Those of you training for Mercedes, we have...drum roll please...SIX weeks to go!! Holy Smoke!! Tomorrow, full marathoners do 15 miles and you halfers are doing 7. NEXT WEEK, we head back downtown for another 13 miler on the marathon course from Boutwell Auditorium. Had a huge crowd last time - hope so again.

By the way, for those of you looking for bigger & longer things, don't forget the Oak Mountain 50k Trail Run. Entries are available at:
http://webpages.charter.net/jnparker/om50.html

Ok guys, that's it from the disappearing butt of 2010 and the emerging surprises of 2011. We have no idea what ups or downs we will have thrown at us. We can only control a handful of a million variables. If you can lace 'em up, let's go for a run and I'll be happy to see you all on the roads -AL


"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

Merry...Happy...Christmas...Holiday...er, Season!

"Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present".
Anonymous


To all my fellow runners and readers of RWA I pass this greeting along to you. Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/ secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee. From deep within ME, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

I hope you all show up tomorrow morning with your new fancy gear, gizmos and gadgets. We'll carry these gifts for 13 miles (full marathoners) or 9 miles (Half Marathoners). Be sure to dress warm. Don't think we'll have rain or snow, but if the roads are icy, roll over and say Coach Al said don't be an idiot. Otherwise, put on your long johns and I'll see you all on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

Amazing Feets

"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have" - Scott Jurek, ultrarunner

You know, if you want to look thin, then you hang out with plump people. If you want to look tall, hang out with smaller folks. If you want to look like a fast runner, then you run with slower runners. If you already think you're a hot-shot endurance runner, read no further!

Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia holds the world record for the marathon with an astonishing 2:03:59 time. Broken down, that is a 4 minute, 44 second per mile pace for 26.2 straight miles! OK, it's 105 consecutive laps around a track at 71 seconds per lap. If Haile ran 104 laps and I raced him on his last lap, he'd still beat me by almost a minute!

Yeah, but that's just a normal, ol' marathon. How 'bout Xu Zhenjun of China who not only ran an entire marathon in 3:43, but he ran it backwards! One of my giant pet peeves are people who (in my mind) make fun of the marathon with costumes, juggling, or, yes, running backwards. I don't know how old this cat is, but if he qualified for Boston running backwards, then I'm really going to be hacked.

Speaking of qualifying for Boston, I hear there is a now a small super sub-set of runners who try to qualify for Boston. No big deal you say, but how about trying to get your BQ in the marathon of an Ironman Triathlon after swimming 2.4 miles and cycling 112 miles. I've qualified before, feeling like I'm at the end of an Ironman, but that's pretty impressive.

But, that's just one marathon...why not try the Quadzilla is Seattle. Four different marathons on four consecutive days in four different Seattle suburbs. That one has some appeal. Wait a minute...no, it doesn't.

That's all in one city in one state. Many runners (usually members of the Marathon Maniacs) want to run a marathon in every state. That takes a lot of planning, good vacation benefits from work, and mucho disposable income. A fellow named Larry Macon has done all fifty states...get this...each year for SIX straight years.

Ol' Larry doesn't stop there. He also holds the record for most certified marathons in ONE YEAR. Ready? 105!! The women's record is held by a woman named Yolanda Holder at 101. Holy Crow you say? Well, hold onto your Holy Crows for a minute. Here we go - Larry and Yolanda are going to BOTH run a marathon in Ocala, Florida this December 31st and by then, for both of them, it will be their 106th. THIS YEAR!! Now, all together, HOLY CROW!!

For the ultrarunners among us, one of the Feats of Glory has been a yearly event called the Grand Slam. It consists of four of the toughest 100 mile trail runs (Western States, Leadville, Wasatch, and Vermont) all done within about 8 weeks. Fourteen ultrarunners completed the GS this year, so not sooooo super-duper. Therefore, we handoff to Monica Scholz, who, this year, completed 25 races of 100 miles. I repeat...THIS YEAR! And on top of that, she usually will finish in the top three females. Now, we're getting into crazy super-duper.

Now, we get into the realm of the Twilight Zone of running. The longest certified road race in the world is the 3,100 mile Self-Transcendence Race in New York. The whole philosophy of self-transcendence is the idea that we are capable of more than we might believe. A couple of times, I ran 3000 miles in a year! Incredibly, these competitors run 5,649 laps of a half-mile course with a (I can't write this with a straight face) CUTOFF of 51 days. The course record is 42 days. That’s an average of 75 miles a day for six weeks! And Dean Karnazes made a big deal of 50 marathons in 50 days. How 'bout some self-transcendence Dean?

Continuing in the "I-can't-get-my-head-around-this" events, consider 4000 miles in 111 days - Running through 100 degree heat, intense wind and injuries. Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin took on the challenge of running through the Sahara Desert. They ran through Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt along the way, and say that their journey was a life changing experience. Are you kidding me? You have to actually say it was a life changing experience? Now, that I can believe. A crew filmed the entire experience and released a documentary called Running The Sahara in 2007.

OK, one more. Running seven marathons in seven days on seven different continents is something I've often thought about doing...Yeah, right! Sir Randolph Fiennes and Dr. Michael Stroud managed the feat, traveling from Chile to the Falkland Islands, Sydney, Singapore, London, Cairo and New York City on their journey. Now, that's the travel agent I want...and their frequent flyer miles.

Well, for those of you in freezing, sleety, Birmingham, tomorrow we're back to training for our Amazing Race - The Mercedes Marathon. Only 8 weeks to go. In the morning, the full marathoners will do 17 miles and the halfers will do 9. So, apparently, there are many divergent paths we can take to satisfy our running fix, but whatever you choose, I'll see you on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

DEEP IN MY GUT

“Yearn to understand first and to be understood second.”
Beca Lewis

First of all, I'd like to thank Valerie for opening up Boutwell Auditorium for our Sunday training run last week. We had a warm place to gather before and after our run on a cold morning, PLUS Val provided us Starbuck's coffee after the run!! Now, I can get used to that. Thanks Val. Tomorrow, we're back at Brownell for 15 miles for the full marathoners and 9 for the halfers.

Recently, I heard an interview with Arnold Palmer (the golfer). The interviewer wanted to know why, with all of Palmer's fame and fortune, he was still golfing semi-competitively at age 81. Palmer answered by saying "If you have to ask that question son, you don't understand sport". I wondered how many folks fully understood that answer, but I certainly did, and I loved it. Yeah, I guess it's something like an addiction, but it more defines the person you are. It's deep in your gut.

I'm often asked why I run, and I have yet to give an answer that satisfies me, never mind my inquisitor, and I don't expect to give one here. I've been running for more than three straight decades and have gone through many different phases. I've come a long way since lacing up my shoes in High School and racing around the oval track TWICE and thinking that was a long way. And once HS was finished, I pretty much gave up on running. It wasn't part of me, and the only time I wanted to be part of it was if I was playing some team sport that required me to get from here to there in the quickest way possible. As I got a little older, wider, and less athletic, running sneaked in the back door of my life and took a hold of me and hasn't let go yet.

We all run for some reason, though we may not know exactly what it is. If it's for some extrinsic reward as it's motivation, your running days are probably limited. Trophies, awards, pats on the back, and awed non-running neighbors reach their saturation point and just doesn't provide the kick-in-the-pants it once did. But, if you take the journey along the twists and turns that happen as you pursue the elusive answer, you realize the motivation to get out there when there is no pat-on-the-back is purely intrinsic. You do have it deep in your gut.

When I head out for a run by myself, I'm in charge of pace. I'm in charge of route. I'm in charge of distance. I can, or should I say "used to", run a hard training session so my lungs feel like they want to pop, or I can take a run that doesn't resemble much more than a mosey. I can run for just a little here-to-there, or I can decide that today is a good day for a 20 mile run. Sometimes that good day doesn't turn out to be a good day at all and I struggle home. And mistakes are tough, but because it's deep in my gut, I know how to fail forward. Baring catastrophe there will be many more runs. Many more successes. But each time I stumble there are only endless reinforcements in my mind of how that has never stopped me. Oh yeah, I'm a ton slower, and a mildly technical single track trail may as well be a Black Diamond ski run, but I'm in charge. Running has been a constant for half of my life. I've gone from being fairly competitive at long distances to a point where my racing pace is no different from my just-got-out-of-bed morning run pace. I forget recent events, but my memories of the good old days are etched forever in stone. Etched in my mind and deep in my gut. There are 500 reasons TO run - friends, eating, health, attempts to confuse the Reaper - but these are not reasons WHY I run.

So, when somebody asks me why I run, I guess I can just tell them because running in the rain is one of the most relaxing things I can do...because taking a header on a muddy trail somehow makes me feel good...because getting up at some ungodly hour on a holiday for a run before sunrise feels like the right thing...because running with the temperature well below the freezing point of my spit is completely contradictory to how much I hate cold, yet I'm bundled up and enjoying being out there...but, I think I'll just say I run because it's deep in my gut. I don't understand it completely myself, but as long as I can remember how to lace up my shoes, I'll see you on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"